A Beginner’s Guide to Petty Cash: Managing and Recording It

In theory, petty cash funds do not amount to a significant amount of company spend. A petty cash fund is a nominal amount of money held by a business for small expenses. Larger corporations often separate petty cash by department, so each team is in charge of their own funds. Cash flow is the heartbeat of your small business, reflecting the movement of money in and out.

The petty cash fund method is often regarded as insufficient or outdated. Companies with a lot of small expenses often consider it tedious and inefficient to fill out vouchers for each transaction. Petty cash is often regarded as cash in hand, and the companies keep a specific amount of cash for meeting their incidental expenditures. Maintaining petty cash accounts eliminates the need to make an account for every account. A business can’t vouch and account for every small expense like a cup of coffee, taxi fare, smaller office supplies, etc. On the other hand, these expenses are unavoidable and must be carried out by the businesses.

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This acts as a receipt, logging the amount of the withdrawal, the date, the purpose, and other details. Increasingly, these slips are electronic ones, entered in a digital spreadsheet or ledger. But it can be helpful to keep paper slips too, along with receipts from the purchases or payments (if possible).

• Nowadays, petty cash is most typical for brick-and-mortar businesses or businesses that often transact in cash.
• Despite making the expense out of pocket and waiting for the reimbursement of the amount, a petty cash fund can be used in such instances.
• Initially, you may need to adjust the petty cash fund amount you’ve selected as a cap; over time, you’ll figure out the best level to set it at.
• But it can be helpful to keep paper slips too, along with receipts from the purchases or payments (if possible).
• In larger corporations, each department might have its own petty cash fund.
• On the downside, the convenience of petty cash can also make it a problem, and a risk.
• Efficient working capital management ensures you have funds available to cover short-term obligations.

Although allocated in the company’s budget, the petty cash fund doesn’t require a lot of planning. The standards are set, and regulations are made in the financial system. Spontaneous decision-making at the departmental level or need-basis won’t be possible if a company does not maintain a petty cash fund. Therefore, maintaining the fund is good for overcoming unwanted financial lags.

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For example, imagine that the Galaxy’s Best Yogurt runs out of milk one evening. It is not possible to operate without milk, and the normal shipment does not come from the supplier for another 48 hours. To maintain operations, it becomes necessary to go to the grocery store across the street and purchase three gallons of milk. A petty cash fund is a type of imprest account, which means that it contains a fixed amount of cash that is replaced as it is spent in order to maintain a set balance. Petty cash helps streamline small expense transactions, reducing administrative burdens and processing time while maintaining financial control and accountability. Periodically, the petty cash fund is replenished through a formal process, and any expenses incurred are recorded in the organization’s accounting system for proper documentation and tracking.

• While physical cards are convenient for purchases made a brick-and-mortar locations, virtual cards protect your business and allow employees to make online purchases with confidence.
• The cash should be secured in a locked box accessible only by the petty cash custodian or an assigned backup.
• Making sure that any expense you reimburse has a receipt is also helpful.
• Before you start a petty cash fund, you’ll need to decide how much you want the fund to be.
• And with the advent of online shopping, it’s often more cost-efficient to buy items like office supplies, birthday cards and coffee from online retailers.

Keeping a small amount of cash in your office or at your store makes it much easier for office managers, bookkeepers, and supervisors to cover occasional small purchases or expenses. Companies hold foreign currency to facilitate international trade, manage currency risk, and conduct business operations in multiple countries efficiently. Holding foreign currency allows corporations to transact in local currencies, reducing exchange rate fluctuations’ impact on financial performance.

Alternatives to a petty cash fund

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For each transaction, record the date, the amount, and what it was for. While convenient for small purchases, it is not a realistic solution for larger expenses. The bigger the company, the harder it is to track outgoing petty cash, change and receipts. This makes the entire petty cash system susceptible to abuse or fraud. For most businesses, these downsides of using petty cash far outweigh the advantages.

Gift cards also have to be registered in an expense management software. With Ramp, this is as easy as uploading a receipt and letting the automation take care of registering the spending and reimbursing employees as needed. Petty cash funds are a holdover from a time when paper cash was preferred over card transactions. In this article, why do businesses use petty cash funds? we’ll go over the purpose of having a petty cash fund, its uses, and potential alternatives. With this information, you’ll be better equipped to decide whether to start or continue with this business practice. Before you start using petty cash, add a petty cash policy section to your employee policies and procedures manual.

• Throughout the month, several payments are made from the petty cash account of the Galaxy’s Best Yogurt.
• No matter what, ensure anyone with that title and responsibility is trustworthy and loyal to the company.
• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommends filing out petty cash slips and attaching them to receipts to record and document petty cash expenses.
• They can help you implement best practices, identify potential pitfalls, and devise strategies tailored to your unique business needs.
• Be as specific as possible, so there is no doubt that the transaction was business-related.

The quick need for supplies, stamps, refreshments, delivery charges or other minor cost items can be provided for by keeping a small amount of cash on hand, called a petty cash fund. Having a petty cash fund allows a business to operate expediently, rather than having employees wait for a check payment or reimbursement every time small amounts of money are required. As part of a company’s cash, a petty cash fund is drawn on its checking account, cashing that check and giving the currency and coins to the custodian. If money from the fund is used for expenses, the custodian will use petty cash receipts or vouchers to replace that cash.